Author: Maureen Magee, Director of Communication, San Diego Unified School District
The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted on July 11, 2018 to place the Neighborhood School Safety and Repair measure on the November ballot. The vote was 4-0 with Dr. Michael McQuary absent. The measure would provide $3.5 billion in funding to repair aging neighborhood schools and make critical safety improvements, including several aimed at confronting the issue of lead in school drinking water. This will mark the first time the district has asked voters to approve a bond since the water crisis in Flint, Michigan brought the lead issue to the national forefront.
“The Neighborhood School Safety and Repair measure keeps the commitments we have made to the communities we serve," said Kevin Beiser, SDUSD Board President. "It allows us to provide students with the cleanest drinking water in the nation, provides for critical repairs at our aging facilities and creates job-oriented classrooms to prepare our young people for their future.”
The San Diego Unified School District is the second-largest school district in California, with close to 200 education facilities. The average age of school buildings is now 48 years old. In addition to necessary repairs, the new measure calls for important upgrades to school safety systems, including intruder alarms and communications technology.
“School police were deeply involved in planning for this measure, and we believe it will make an important contribution to the safety of our students,” said Joey Florentino, Captain, SDUSD Police. He noted this is the first new measure introduced by the district since the school shooting tragedies at Sandy Hook and Parkland, Florida.
Read more about this story on the San Diego Unified School District blog:
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